Homeland Security-funded Study: Playing down public’s concern over radioactive fallout has huge economic benefits — “We’re not trying to bamboozle the public”

[...] A team of researchers recently completed a Department of Homeland Security-funded study that assesses the regional economic impacts of a hypothetical catastrophic event like a radiological dispersal device (RDD) attack or a “dirty bomb” attack on Los Angeles’ financial district compared to a natural disaster like an earthquake. Such an attack has the potential to cause radioactive fallout across the city and surrounding areas—thereby causing a mass exodus and significant damage to commerce. [...]

Fear causes a “dampening effect on the economy,” according to [Adam Rose, who studied the major economic impacts of the disaster], which would mean ripple effects as costs increase that impact demand for goods, prices and quantities of products. The public’s fear has the potential to cost 15 times more than the original wreckage and clean-up.

[...] Carefully crafting messages to both advise the public and alleviate fears not only helps to prevent panic, but also helps to prevent long-term economic harm. Anything that can be done from a policy standpoint to reduce excessive fear from the public has considerable benefits.

“Anything we can do from a policy standpoint that can reduce excessive public concern about an event has huge economic benefits,” said [William Burns, a decision research scientist at California State San Marcos]. “We’re not trying to bamboozle the public. We want them to believe the truth based on expert, objective people.”


Source: enenews.com

The Blog @ Homeland Security: DHS Supports Exercise of Securing the Cities Program Designed to Detect Radiological and Nuclear Threats

DHS Supports Exercise of Securing the Cities Program Designed to Detect Radiological and Nuclear Threats

Beginning today, thousands of first responders and law enforcement officers from 150 agencies in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will participate in a five-day, full-scale exercise to evaluate the Securing the Cities (STC) program, a DHS-funded effort to protect New York City and other major metropolitan areas against the threat of illicit radiological and nuclear weapons and materials. The exercise is not related to a specific threat.

“The Securing the Cities program is a key component of the Department’s efforts to protect the nation from terrorist threats,” said Secretary Napolitano. “The STC pilot program has helped build a capability among first responders to help detect illicit radiological and nuclear weapons or materials in a major metropolitan area that simply did not exist four years ago.”

Securing the Cities began in 2006 as a pilot project for the New York City region, providing equipment, tools and training through cooperative agreements to the New York Police Department (NYPD), the lead agency for the STC program, which in turn distributes grant money to other participating agencies. In all, STC has provided more than 5,800 pieces of detection equipment, trained nearly 11,000 personnel, and conducted more than a hundred drills.

“Through Securing the Cities, the New York City region is providing thousands of first responders with the tools they need to detect radiological and nuclear threats,” said Warren Stern, Director of DHS’ Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO). “This full-scale exercise will help us to determine how we can continue to improve our ability to identify, prevent and respond to potential nuclear or radiological threats.”

Following an evaluation of the initial pilot, President Obama’s FY 2012 budget request outlines a transition from a pilot program to a more permanent capability that could be continued in the New York City region and replicated in other major metropolitan cities.

Source: dhs.gov

Secretary Napolitano's Remarks on Border Security

Release Date: April 1, 2011

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

WASHINGTON—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today delivered remarks highlighting the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) unprecedented efforts to strengthen security while facilitating legal travel and trade along the Southwest border.

“Security and economic prosperity represent two sides of the same coin,” said Secretary Napolitano.  “We are committed to further strengthening our border security efforts, which will reinforce and help expand legal trade and travel in the border region.”

During her remarks, Secretary Napolitano underscored the Department’s historic efforts to strengthen border security through the Southwest Border Initiative, launched in March 2009— which includes increasing the number of Border Patrol agents from approximately 10,000 in 2004 to more than 20,700 today; doubling the number of personnel assigned to Border Enforcement Security Task Forces; and deploying more than a quarter of all U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel to the Southwest border region—the most ever.

Secretary Napolitano also highlighted the unprecedented collaboration between the United States and Mexico to bolster cooperation on law enforcement, intelligence sharing and joint operations along the Southwest border.  The Department has increased joint training programs with Mexican law enforcement agencies and, for the first time in history, Border Patrol agents are coordinating joint operations along the Southwest border with Mexican Federal Police to combat human trafficking and smuggling in both nations.

Last week, Secretary Napolitano visited El Paso, Texas, where she joined Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sanchez, CBP Commissioner Alan Bersin and regional mayors to discuss ways to continue to facilitate commerce along the Southwest border and spread the message that the border region is open for business.

The Obama administration has made great strides in facilitating legal trade and travel across the border —working with local leaders to update infrastructure and reduce wait times at our Southwest border ports of entry while increasing security. More than 1,700 private-sector partners in Mexico are enrolled in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) trusted-shipper program, and CBP is deploying 250 new officers to ports along the border as a result of the FY 2010 Border Security Supplemental.  These investments have yielded concrete results, with imports crossing the Southwest border into the United States increasing 22 percent from fiscal year 2009 to fiscal year 2010.